Our little dancer

So, I mentioned in my last post that Norah Kate has really gotten into listening to music and dancing. Well, this morning I had to wake her up to get ready for church, so I took my iphone in with me and had the Christmas music playing on Pandora. As I entered the room I found her asleep in her crib. As she heard the music, she opened her eyes, and before even sitting up she started "dancing" with her little body. So funny! She did end up sitting up and dancing...hand motions and all. Ha!

9 month stats

Our little girl has recently turned 9 months old...and has become even more fun (if you can imagine that!) I am really amazed when I look at her. I thank God so many times for giving her to us. Her little personality is just so exciting to see...she is happy and playful; inquisitive and mischievous at times; and calm and peaceful when it needs to be. David and I were talking the other day about how well she does when other people care for her. For example, we are in the process of looking for a new church home since we've moved, and she has been to so many different nurseries...without ANY problems!!! That has made it so much easier on us as well.

Here are some stats on her as of now:

-Crawling everywhere...and very fast, I might add...I don't know that I've seen a baby crawl as fast as her. Sometimes I worry about her falling on her face she goes so fast.

-Pulling up to a stand

-She is nursing just 3 times a day now

-Eating Breakfast, lunch, & dinner

-Loves the puffs and LOVES eating off of our plates. She wants everything we have. :)

-DANCING! Any time she hears music she starts dancing...even if she is nursing which is pretty funny to watch.

-Pointing her little finger...at anyone and everything. She will point to Chula and say "ooh ooh ooh..."

-She is babbling a lot. She is definitely trying to tell us something...what it is, I do not know. But she is enthusiastic about it.

-Sleeping great through the night, but she has starting waking up about 7:15 or 7:30...and if you know me, you know that this is NOT cool!!! :)

-She is obsessed with Chula (the dog).

-weighs 17.3 (25%)

-length 27.5 (between 50-75%)

-head circumference (don't remember, but she's still in the 50%)

We did have a recent "set-back" with her first bacterial infection. She was sick, sick. She started the antibiotic, Amoxicillin, and then the next morning was covered in whelps from head to toe. So...she was quickly switched to Zithromax and had a few doses of Benadryl and we were on our way again! :)

Here are a few of our most recent pictures. I do like them because I feel that they show her personality. Just havin' fun!

She has LOVED listening (& dancing) to the Christmas music, so we have it playing most all the time. We are exciting about her first Christmas coming up...and we hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!

Christgiving!

Oh - I know, I know...it's been way too long. I can't believe that 2 months ago today we made our move to Jackson. I can't say that it feels like it was just yesterday...because I don't. I feel like it was at LEAST 2 months ago, if not more. We are getting more settled in our home and the town. In November we were able to go to Branson, MO with David's side of the family. While there we celebrated our Christmas and Thanksgiving = Christgiving is what we named it. :) It was so much fun and all the kids are getting to the age where they can play more. Here is a picture of Isabella (3) and Aiden (2) playing on the loft upstairs in the cabin.

Here is another cute one of the two of them at the bottom of the stairs. So sweet!

Norah Kate LOVED playing with her big cousins. As you can tell with this picture, she took everything in...

Such a sweet kiss from her big cousin, Isabella. All the kids (Isabella, Aiden, & Brooks) did really well with Norah Kate. You never know how kids that age will do around a baby, but they were more than wonderful and very gentle with her.

Here is David with Brooks (1) and Aiden. The movie, Cars was definitely the highlight of the week. I can't even tell you how many times it was played. :)

This was Christgiving morning - Norah Kate with her Grammy (David's mom). NK really enjoyed getting to see her grandparents.

And boy did she rack UP on the TOYS!!! Here she is with some of her loot...and her cute scarf!

Such a happy girl with her Daddy!!!

Merry Christgiving everyone!

And then it was on to Thanksgiving...

David's parents visited each of the 3 sons individually while they were in the states, and we were excited that our visit fell on Thanksgiving! We hosted it this year and had a housefull! (is that a word?) Anyway...We had his parents, my parents, my sister & her husband, and David's brother Jonathan & his family. It was so much fun and everyone interacted so well together.

As you can see from both of these pictures, the guys took their traditional places in front of the T.V. Ha Ha! No, they really did help out a lot...Dad even did the dishes! :)

Here is Aiden with Boo. The two of them were really missing their other dog, a pug named Hercules...who had surgery a few days before. Fortunately Hercules was okay and just had to stay at the vet to be observed for a couple of days.

NK with her Auntie Lauren...not that she wanted to look at the camera or anything...but at least she's smiling!

I love this picture! It looks like Aiden is hiding. So funny!

As you can see, we've had lots of fun, and lots of craziness lately (as always). Hopefully it won't be too long before I post again. :)

Birthday & Halloween Celebrations

Happy (Late) Birthday, David!!!

On Wednesday, David turned the big 2-8! :) Unfortunately we really didn't celebrate much. :( I had the flu last weekend...which lingered until Wednesday. We did make his coffee & blueberry muffins on his birthday, and he took the leftovers to work with him. Anyway, Norah Kate & I hope he had a great birthday!

On Thursday night my parents and sister came and we did take David to Outback to celebrate. Here is a little picture of our family below. You can tell we were all worn OUT from the day...um...and that Norah Kate had just finished her carrots. :) Oh well!

Norah Kate did give her Daddy a good birthday present...she started CRAWLING on his birthday! Yay NK!!!

Then it was on to the Halloween festivities. NK really (obviously) did not care one thing about Halloween, but we had fun dressing her up and showing her off to the neighbors. She was Princess Leia (spelling???) and Chula was Yoda. We did go trick-or-treating to a few houses in our cove...but really just to meet our new neighbors and not really for the candy.

Below is a family picture from the night. You can tell David and I are really trying not to laugh. Our friends, Isaac & Sarah, came over that night and took some pics for us, and Isaac was "trying to get NK to smile for the camera." He definitely has his own way of doing that. Ha Ha!!!

Then we tried to get a few pictures of the celebrities...but they didn't really cooperate:

So we finally got this cute one of our little princess.

We are trying to settle in to our new home and new responsibilities here in Jackson. David and I really enjoy the town and the people that we've met. Hope to be able to post more soon! ...our little girl has a 8-month birthday coming up, so stay tuned!

Happy Fall Y'all!

This week Norah Kate turned 7 months old!!! I just can't iterate enough how much of a good baby she is! These picture are technically her 6 month pictures...we had them taken about 3 weeks ago.

There isn't a whole lot new with NK. She is really just perfecting all of her "moves." She is SO CLOSE to crawling...she'll move her legs, but not her hands - which just ends in a face plant on the carpet. So far it hasn't been too bad. She is still eating 4 times a day, and usually 2 "baby food" meals. We are beginning to give her a lunch every once-in-a-while. Within the next month we will start the puffs. I still haven't really found anything that she just doesn't like. She is a great eater.

She goes to bed about 9pm and sleeps until 7am ...-ish...sometimes its later. However, she has also just started to talk to herself and entertain herself for awhile when she wakes up in the morning, so I guess we don't really know what time she is waking up! Ha!

As far as the move...well, this time next week we will be Jackson residents! We are moving Thursday, and it is hard to believe that the time has come. I am totally ready to not be living in limbo anymore...I do hope it is a nice move. :) Well, I better get to packing! Wish us luck :)

80 Days

60 days ago - David was approached about a job at Union University

44 days ago - We made a day trip to Jackson for David to interview

43 days ago - David was offered (& accepted) the job in Campus Ministries

40 days ago - We put our house on the market

26 days ago - David began working at Union

18 days ago - Our house sold

8 days ago - We bought a house in Jackson

7 days ago - I was offered & accepted a job as a Nurse Practitioner in Jackson

...

in 10 days - We close on our Memphis house

in 11 days - We close on our Jackson house

in 18-20 days - We will be moving to Jackson

...80 days total.

It has been extremely stressful for us these days. We knew it would be hard, especially with David commuting/staying in Jackson part of the time, but I think we've even been surprised with how hard it has been. The events above are in addition to our daily work, caring for a 6 month old, house duties, a dog having surgery, showing the house, traveling back and forth to Jackson, etc. We are amazed at how God has worked out all the details for us. It is without a doubt that we can say this is what God has for us right now. We look forward to the days ahead...even if they are flying by too fast for us to remember them! :)

6 months!

Our baby is 6 months old!!!!!!!!!!!

I know I say this every time...and I know EVERY mother says this, but I can't believe she is 6 months already!!! Unfortunately this update is a little late...as usual. Norah Kate actually turned 6 months on Sunday, but with all the cleaning, rearranging, and shoving stuff places in order to show our house; I can't find my camera! I had to steal my mom's camera for awhile. :)

Norah Kate went for her 6 month appointment last week. She was 14.6 lbs (25%), head circumference was 42 cm (50%) and she was 26 inches long (75%). She got her regular shots, and the first of her flu shots...and screamed. But she did stop as soon as I picked her up.

Here are some other stats for her:

-As you can see, she is sitting up by herself. She sits up, leans over to play with her toes, and sits up again.

-She has started pushing up on her hands and knees, and even rocks sometimes, but never goes forward...sometime she slides backwards.

-Just begining to wave bye-bye; actually she does the motion a lot, but only in regards to "bye-bye" every once-in-a-while.

-Gives kisses (well, slobbers all over our cheeks!)

-Reaches for EVERYTHING!

-Just beginning #2 foods. We really haven't found anything that she doesn't like to eat. She definitely doesn't prefer peas, but she just eats them and makes a bad face the whole time.

-Nurses 4 times a day; eats foods twice a day.

-Still in size 2 diapers.

-Bedtime about 9pm and sleeps until 7:30-8:00am (which is great when I work because she usually sleeps until I get home from work in the morning and its perfect timing for her to eat!)

-Naps...on the other hand...well, sometimes yes, and sometimes no. :)

-Smiles all the time!!! Really, she does smile about 90% of the time...I love it!

Update

Just wanted to post a few pics and give a little update on our status. David started his new job at Union this week! Many of you know that David is a man of few words (on serious things) but I really think he's having a great time. I am so happy for him. Things have been very crazy, though, with him being in Jackson all day every day, working out childcare for Norah Kate, and trying to sell our house. Our house has been on the market for 16 days, and we shown the house 11 times! We haven't heard any negative feedback, but we haven't received any offers either. :) Hopefully that will all change soon! Oh...and I need to find a job in Jackson :)

As you can see...Norah Kate is so proud of her Dad for his new job!

For Sale!

We're Moving! David has accepted a position to work in Campus Ministries at Union University in Jackson, TN. This is such an exciting time for us. David will be the Assistant Director of Mobilization...which means he will help coordinate the Go Trips (mission trips) and prepare the students going on those trips. He will also work with students who are looking into going into missions after college, as well as finding opportunities in the community for students to help (community development/missions). He is very excited about this position. I am excited about this next chapter in our life and I do feel better about raising a child/children in Jackson rather than Memphis. I am from a very small town, so I do feel like I am getting back to that a little. However, we are sad about leaving our friends and church here.

I just can't even hardly believe it when I see this "For Sale" sign in our yard. I mean, yes, our house is tiny and all, but we have worked so hard on it for the past 4 1/2 years! Since we bought this house we have completely redone all the landscaping (including planting grass), completely redone the kitchen (with all new appliances), created a utility room off the kitchen (with new washer/dryer), renovated the master bath (entirely), painted all the walls/rooms, refinished and restained all the hardwood floors, retiled the kitchen and master bath (including our shower!...thanks Pete), added faux wood blinds to all the windows, changed all the doorknobs and fixtures, replaced all but one of the ceiling fans, replaced all the light fixtures (inside and out), and hung new gutters! AND - besides the sheet rock (spelling???) work and installing the kitchen cabinets, we've done it all ourselves...with the help of some great friends and family (Thanks to Pete, Zach, David's parents, Ryan, and others). So, you can see why it is a little hard to allow someone else to own our little house. However, we know that it has been good to us, and can now be good for another family. ...plus...we can't fit in it anymore! Ha! :)

So far we've already had 3 people/families (and then 1 came a second time ...to total 4 viewings) come to view our house and it's only been on the market 5 days!!!

Norah Kate has been helping us start to pack up a few things...

In other news...Norah Kate started Mother's Day Out this past Thursday. Doesn't she look cute in her first day of school outfit! She will go on Thursdays and Fridays. Yes, it seems sort of silly to start her in this when we are about to move, but I have no idea how long it is going to take for our house to sell and for me to find a job in Jackson. So, until then, I need her to have a place to go while I work at St. Jude. :) Her teachers are wonderful, and I really feel comfortable with her there. (She seems to really like it as well.)

I can't believe it is only 1 1/2 weeks until she goes for her 6 month check up! I will keep everyone posted in the days ahead!

5 months!

Norah Kate was 5 months old yesterday!!! What a crazy last month it has been. I posted before about her not sleeping well on vacation...she has pretty much gone back to her old "good" sleeping habits. She has been rolling EVERYWHERE lately...this does cause some problems at night, but she's getting use to this as well.

Unfortunately she had her first little virus this past week. I felt so bad because we had been running errands on Tuesday and I just thought she felt hot from being outside & in her carseat...however, when she was still that hot after her nap I knew there was something going on. The highest temp she had was 100.9 that day, and she really didn't act like she felt bad. She was rubbing her ears, which she had not done before, so I tried to look in her ears...but only had adult sized probes and it wasn't working. Wednesday morning I took her to sick call at the Pediatrician's office so they could check her ears, but they said they were clear. Wednesday afternoon & Thursday morning she really didn't eat well, and was a little more fussy, but by last night she was afebrile. Yeah! Hopefully that's the end of that!

On other news, my Blackberry...which I LOVED...went MIA last week. I have just been SICK about this because my parents bought it for me for my MSN graduation gift last year. I guess I left it on the table at Olive Garden, and when I got home and realized it...tried to call it and it was already turned off. For a few days it was turned off at night and on during the day. So frustrating!!! If someone found it (especially with as fast as I realized it) why didn't they just turn it in - couldn't they see the picture of the cutest baby in the world on it?! Ug. Oh well. So...I am now the owner (I guess you could say "proud" except for the circumstances) of an iphone. I guess I would brag about this more, except I really just went to AT&T and said "What is the cheapest smartphone you have that can download pharmacology/medical information from the internet...and oh yeah, its not time for me to renew my contract." *smile* And they said...looks like the 2008 iphone. There you go. I do think David likes it even more than I do. Ha ha! Honestly, I just really feel blessed to have back up money for situations like this...even enough to still get the smartphone that helps me in my occupation as well.

Well, I guess that is everything new for now. Oh, by the way, Norah Kate weight 14 lb 6 oz when I took her in the other day...guess she likes those baby foods! :)

Where do I begin...

Hi Everyone! Mom is letting me do this post. :) I am 4 1/2 months now (20 1/2 weeks). At my 4 month appointment I weighed 12 lb 10.5 oz (just under 50th percentile), I was 24 1/2 inches long (between 75-90th percentile), and my head circumference was 40cm (5oth percentile). I have started eating rice cereal, and have had peas and carrots...and I love it all! I'm not sure what Mom will give me next...but I'm excited to see! I still nurse every 4 hours during the day, but not at night anymore. I am also rolling both ways...although at night I am too tired to roll back to my back when I get on my stomach, so I just cry and have Mom or Dad put me back. I've also enjoyed playing with my feet...they are so nice! I like to make sounds with my mouth too, like "eeeee" and "bob, bob, bob."

Mom has been SUPER busy! She started a new position at St. Jude and is now in a research position 1 day a week and still on the floor caring for patients 1 night a week. It has been hard for her to get her research hours in because they have to be during the daytime...but she doesn't have a set place for me to go yet. Mama Lynn (Mom's Mom) has been coming down just about every week to help out, but she will start teaching again at the end of August. I have also been staying with my friend, Katherine, and her mom that live 2 houses down. In the fall I will start going to a Mother's Day out near our house 2 days a week...this will give mom plenty of time to get in her daytime hours.

So, I wanted to show you some pictures from my first trip to the BEACH! I had a great time. I didn't sleep well...but I'm doing better now. I just enjoyed being awake and having Mom & Dad in the room with me. :) I don't think they appreciated it as much as I did. Ha Ha!

This is me riding in the car. Mom did let me watch a couple of DVDs...but just near the end when I was VERY ready to get out. I didn't cry though.

We stopped outside of Birmingham the first night and spent the night. I surprised Mom @ 5:45 a.m. with a B L O W O U T! Yes! Here is a picture of me after Mom cleaned me up. Notice the smile...

This was when we first got to the beach. Mom & Dad took me for a walk...I really liked the sand. The breeze was nice too.

I liked the water too! Mom didn't get a very good picture though because she didn't want to get her pants wet.

You really have to look close, but this is a picture of my footprints with Mom & Dad's footprints.

Here is a picture of Mom & me. You can see how happy I was to be there.

This is me ready to go swimming. Dad said I look like a Japanese Game Show contestant with my sunglasses, but I didn't mind. I liked them and kept them on really well. :)

Here are a couple of pictures of me swimming. Mom got me a cool float so that I could relax.

On this day I did not really like the ocean, because it was COLD...but the other days it was okay.

I enjoyed taking my morning nap on the beach almost everyday...the waves were very relaxing.

I enjoyed being a beach baby!

Well, this is a good picture of Mom & Dad, but I wasn't really looking at the camera...oh well. :)

I got lots of attention while we were at the beach. Here I am sitting with Mama Joyce (my great-grandmother) and playing with Mom's cousin, Suzanne.

In this picture Pops (Mom's Dad) was singing "It's a Grand Ole Flag"...but mom said that he wasn't singing the right words. I didn't mind though...I though it sounded pretty good!

Well, that's a little bit about our trip. I will try to get mom to post more often...but I can't promise anything. Ha Ha!